Nature’s gifts to us take on the form of scenes of awe and wonder, scenes that strike an emotional chord within us, scenes that make us smile, through teary eyes. The scene above was captured by me about six years ago, while hiking part of the coastal stretch between Carmel and Monterey, CA. It is one of my own personal top ten favorite photographs.

I remember that day, as if it was yesterday. It was February 14th (Valentine’s Day), and cold. The air was filled with a crispness, and the scent of the sea was carried on the wings of a soft breeze. The resounding echoes of the sea were melodious.

The sea’s tone was pure blue and clear. The cliffs, boulders and rocks jutting out from the sea were jagged with a grandness and loveliness all their own.

As I walked the path, with the stunning setting to my left, I saw a patch of red on top of a group of boulders protruding from the sea. Not just small boulders, but nearly cliff-sized ones at their height. I looked through my camera lens to see what the redness was, and there they were, a man and woman, sitting atop the boulders, his arm through hers, staring ahead at the great expanse of sea. They were an older couple, not young adults, possibly in their fifties. They appeared to be at one with the sea, fascinated by its ebb and flow, and the song that resonated from it.

It was a moment in time that I will never forget, and one that sparked emotions within me. I was overwhelmed enough by the sea and boulders and cliffs on that pathway. But, the ultimate joy of it all was to see that the was couple entranced by what was before them. I was too, but they were looking from a different level, and it must have been extremely magnificent a view from their high perspective, as the sea splashed the boulders. It was magnificent from mine, on the ground.

I hiked along, inhaling the scents and the beauty of nature, touching earth and sea, feeling as if I was in a place of fantasy (I had been here several times before, and each time was like the first time). I turned around about 40 minutes later, and hiked back towards my starting point. When I came back to the spot where I saw the loving couple, I noticed that they were still there, arms around each other, in quietude, staring straight ahead. No sound but the lull of the ocean’s melody was noticeable.

What a gift, a gift from nature. Oh, the intimacy of the moment, the awe and wonder, the magic of it all.

Your photo is marvelous, but your writing is even more so. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and this photo with us. The couple is too young to be Betsy and me, but I would hope we would appreciate the wonder as much as this couple did.